Rotary snap switch



March 15 1927. 1,621,340

G. B. THOMAS ROTARY SNAP SWITCH Filed July 13. 1921 zsheetkshut 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS G.B.THOMAS ROTARY SNAP SWITCH Filed July 13. 1921 2 Shets-Shoet 2 lmmmm invEuToR Games 5. THoMHs ATTORNEYS diyi'ding the insulating 'body of the switch i'into"two parts, each carrying the switch i contacts forth'eir respective "levels, the two their reception.

Patented Mar. 15,1927.

:ZG'EGRGE "B; 'lI-IOMAS, "on nierncareers;=coimmcTm-Um, assists?" Tomlin BRYANT Application filed Jul 13,

T M-y iny ention .qrelates to frotary snap switches, and particularly to switches jofthe innlti-blade 'type, 'the object of my 'inven- I tion being to provide a switchji'n which the construction and assembly of the insulating body and associated metal parts is si1npli- "fied, While the current breaking capacity of tlie'switc'h is also increased. I 1 In the accompanying draw ngs 7 Fig.1 is a plan of a switch in which my invention is embodied in'one forni; V Fi -2 is asecti n on 'fl1e1Inej2 2,"F1g; 1; 7 3 'i's abroken pla n View of the switchwith cover "removed;

I I Fig. 4 isa section on the line 4-4, Fig. 3;

Fig. 5"is a section on the line 55, Fig, 2;

i i Fig. 6'isia'n "inyerted plan of the switch q ya i Fig. 7 is a plan of the base of the switch with the body removed.

In rotary snap switches of "ni'ulti-bla'de type," s'nch for instance as thatillustra'ted in the Goodri'dge Patent'No, 13235047, it is customary to provide a plurality'fof switch blades the' Contact arms of Whichflie in dif- 'ferentpIanes and cooperate with switch contacts similarly arranged at 'difierent levels on the insulating b'a'se. This necessirates -ainore orless, complicated "configuration offthe base, which is diflicnlt to mold, and, inoreoyenisapt to lead to 'con'fusioni-n r 'th'eas'sen1b ly of contacts in their proper -po- Sitio'n' on the different levels provided for By my present invention I have simplified the construction by subportions of the base being united in "theco'm- Zpleted' switch; This arrangemen' tenables me to introduce an insulating"diaphragm between the switch levels which effectively ]preyents' arcing between the contacts of differentilevels, and thus'increases the current breakingca'pac ty of the'switch; The invention may beembodied in various mod-iv fied forms of constrtictiong'but I haye'illus tratedjit in the accompanying drawings in a heater switch fha'yi'n'g certain character 1'st1cs In'cominon with those of-the swltch shown in the Goodridge' patent above, noted. As here illustrated, the switch comprises an insulating base. 1;0,-an'd a two-part insulating body comprising block 11 and snp'erposed ring 12, both of insulating nia- ELECDEIC COMPZhIxTfiXOF BRIDGEPORT, CONNEGTICUT,'A coRPoRATIoN or GON- ROTARY SNAP I sw' o-n.

"lining' l is provided to house in the switch. The base 10 (-:Fig.] earriwonitsnipper iterial. usna'lcover 13 with insulating face a gronp "of wire'terlninal's 15, 16, 17 i8 and 719, to W'hich'the ina-ins 'and distribiit ing connections-may be led through holes' 20, 21, 22-, 23' and {24 "opening through "the base' adj acent the e'spective 'Wire "terminals. Each of these terminals is tapped "at 25 to receive ai's'crew bolt, by whichthe terminal is'connected to its appropriatecontact, hereinafter 7 described. The base is also pierced at 26 to accommodate the securing sc'rew's 27 by which it, is mounted on an appropriate support. The positioning rib '28 is formed on the upper 'face'of the baseto properly 10- cate' the switchfbodyl with" respect to the several terininal ,zplates'.

jpropriately recessed at 29 (Fig. 6') on "its lower facelto receive" such portions 0 f the wire terminals as may projectabove the jux- 'tapos'ed iface ofthe 'ba'se,fand is also pierced at suitable points 31,' and "3li*t0 receive the bolts which establish connection withfthe several wire terminals,

On theupper face-oftliis block 5) "are monnted the three lower ilevelf'switch contacts 35, fian'dwhich co-operate with In addition to the securing" screws 39. which pass through the block 1 1" and "take into suitable extensions ofithe' bases of the-contacts and 37', 'both ofthe latter are "con nected by their appropriate bolts and 41 to their appropriate Wire; terminals 17 and I: 15, jrespecti'velyyto establish electrical conr nectionjtherjewi'th 'The'contact' 36 is "not directly connected to any" of'the Wire terrests 'uponthe otrter facedfthe body bilo'ck 11 and appropriately recessed on "its j-iixtaposed 'fa'cef'to. accommodate 'the ,projecti-ng portions of the'contacft's35, 36 and 37 which it overlies}: 'On its nlp'per 'fa'ce Fig. 3) are mounted three contacts 43, M- andj45, which are not only s cu redxin i'pos'itio'n by suitable '3) carried b y the ring fl2 of-thejswitch body; 1

' The ring Ineinber 12 of thes 'vitch'body holding screws 46 piercing the'ring andbase v block '11; and taking int0;their respective bases, bu't also by screw bolts 47,48 and A9 passing threa h the bases and" through the correspondingholes ""50, 51 and in the the lower blade 38 of'the sn itch mechanism. {3 7 base block 11 to mechanically and electrically connect these contacts to thewire terminals 18, 16 and 19, respectively, on the switch base In order to establish electrical connection between the contact 36 on the block 11 and the contact 43 on the ring element of the. switch body, I provide a bushing 53 (Fig. 4) which extends between the bases of these contacts and is clamped between the same by the screw 42 when the ring, is assembled in position. Both contacts 36 and 43 are therefore connected to the wire ter- .minal 18. Co-operating with the upper level contacts 43, 44 and 45 carried by the ring is'the Switchblade 54f- If the wire mains be connected to the wire terminals and 16, and the branch connections to the wire terminals 17, 18 and '19, it will be obvious that in the various positions of the switch the current will be distributed tothe branch leads in an appropriate manner to control, for instance, the low, medium and high heat of a standard heater unit.

A barrier flange X extending inwardly from the ring 12 is interposed between the upper and lower level blades and switch contacts,and thus effectively prevents arcing,

between these parts as the switch changes position on its operation. Where the ring is 1 made in one piece it may be necessary to interrupt the barrier flange at suitable polnts -to facilitate its assembly, sinceit must be slipped between the upper and lower switch blades. Any difficulty in this direct1on,-however, may be readily overcome by forming the ring IDVJEWO pieces.

' The snap switch mechanism may be of standard construction and need notbe described in detail. It suffices to point out that that here shown is mounted upon a rotary switch spindle 55, which extends through V the cover 13 and has secured to the. projectingend thereof the operating thumb piece 56. The latter may be conveniently shaped to afford an indicator cooperating with the legends 57 displayed upon the outer face of the cover. The latter is notched at 58 to engage the rib 28 on the base 10 to accurately position the legends on the cover with respect to the switch mechanism.

It will be noted that the supporting lugs if of the contacts 35, 36 and, 37 on the insulat- 'faces of both of these members.

ing body member 11, and the supporting lugs of the contacts .43, 44 and 45 carried bythe barrier ring 12 lie on the flat sur- This is an important consideration, since the position "ofthe contacts may be thus accurately l0- cated and the contact construction simplified while the effect of the rugged body struc-' ture is ,maintained when these parts are assembled. Hitherto the location of the switch contacts at different levels has been I secured either by recessing the switch body of the porcelains. By sub-dividing the body 4 into the two parts 11 and 12, the two contact supporting'face-s may be readily machined, if necessary,.to presentv absolutely plane contact supporting surfaces. The simplification. of these two elements of the body results in much more perfect porce. lains, however, so that such machining is not ordinarily necessary to secure -the desired planity of the contact carrying faces. Mereover, inasmuch as the contacts are 'flatpand' do not require spacing standards, they may .be made of lighter metal, since they are not subjected to the mechanical strains incident to the use of contacts having such standards.

Various modifications in arrangement of the switch contacts and switch blades will readily occur to those skilled in the art, without departingfrom the underlying principles of what I claim as my invention.

Iclaim:- r 1. In a rotary snap switchyan insulating body comprising superposed sections and means for uniting the same to. form a rigid body unit, the, upper surfaces of said sections lying in planes capable. of being ma-' chined, upper and lower banks of contacts mounted onsaid surfaces, in combination 7 with a switch spindle, and upper and lower banks of switch blades thereon cooperating with the said contacts, the engaging surfaces of said blades and contacts lying in 7 planes substantially normal to the axis of the switch spindle. r f I r 2. In a rotary snapswitch, an insulating body comprising superposed sections and means for uniting the same to form a rigid body unit, the upper surfaces of said sections lying in planes capable of being machined, upper and lower banks of'contact's mounted on said surfaces, in combination with ,a switch spindle, and upper and lower banks of switch blades thereon cooperating with said contacts, the engaging surfaces of said blades and contacts lying in planes substan tially normal to the axis of the switch spindle, together with an insulating barrier associated with the upper body section and interposed between said upper and lower con,

tact banks. I

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. GEORGE B. THOMAS. 

